Pope Francis Calls for Empathy Toward Migrants and Refugees

Pope Francis called for people around the world to “embrace” migrants and refugees in his annual World Day for Peace address. The theme of the 51st World Day of Peace celebration, observed on Jan. 1, was “Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women in Search of Peace.”

Francis reiterated his advocacy for “all those fleeing from war and hunger, or forced by discrimination and persecution, poverty and environmental degradation to leave their homelands.”

“Please, let’s not extinguish the hope in their hearts, let’s not suffocate their expectations of peace,”

Francis said during his address in the Vatican, where 40,000 adherents turned out for the event. Francis called on political, educational, and religious institutions alike to “make the effort to assure refugees andmigrants, to everyone, a peaceful future.”